by David Sedaris |
People PICK
REVIEWED BY JUDITH NEWMAN
ESSAY
In Sedaris's sixth collection of essays, we are in familiar and glorious territory: his family; his life in France with his aggravatingly capable boyfriend, Hugh; his observations on fashion ("I like to think I'm beyond the reach of trends, but my recent infatuation with the man-purse suggests otherwise").
But what makes Sedaris's work transcendent is its humanity: He adores some truly awful people, yet he invests them with dignity and even grace. There is Rosemary, who is Blanche DuBois if Blanche ran a boardinghouse; there's Mrs. Peacock, the slatternly babysitter who turns the Sedaris children into her personal slaves; and then there's Helen, the malevolent Sicilian neighbor who wishes everyone dead and, worse, foists her terrible cooking off on Sedaris and Hugh. It's a wonder they don't move. And yet Sedaris not only befriends her; in the end he makes us weep for her. And that is why he's the best there is.
by Ann Leary |
REVIEWED BY RENNIE DYBALL
FICTION
What's it like to marry a star? Leary, wife of Denis, spins her inside knowledge into a sparkling debut novel. When Joe, Julia's actor husband, goes A-list, Julia finds herself on the sidelines—and stalking Joe when she suspects infidelity. Keenly observant of celeb culture ("It never ceased to embarrass me the way Joe wore his sunglasses indoors"), Leary pens a bittersweet tale about love, marriage and the perils of fame.
by Jeffrey Lewis
REVIEWED BY SUE CORBETT
FICTION
Hell-bent on atoning for the death of a woman killed in a car crash while he was at the wheel, billionaire Adam Bloch has wed her sister and built a huge home in coastal Maine. When he tries to buy extra land from a neighbor, her feckless boyfriend senses a gold mine. Scriptwriter Lewis includes pitch-perfect scenes set at the local general store, where dissecting the follies of the nouveaux riches passes for sport. The last novel in Lewis's "Meritocracy Quartet," Adam stands alone—a taut, absorbing tale about the possibilities of redemption.
"I've been around for nearly half a century, yet still I'm afraid of everything and everyone"
WHACKED by Jules Asner In her debut novel, director Steven Soderbergh's wife takes a chilling and fiercely funny look at dating in Tinseltown.
CHASING HARRY WINSTON by Lauren Weisberger Another glitzy Manhattan romp from the author of The Devil Wears Prada.
LOVEHAMPTON by Sherri Rifkin Appealing heroine, heartsick and unemployed, rediscovers herself in a Hamptons house share. Improbable but fun.
• Disappearing Destinations authors Heather Hansen and Kimberly Lisagor recommend 37 locales to see before they're spoiled—and ways to help in each. Three of their favorites:
1 EVEREST NATIONAL PARK Lakes formed by melting glaciers may wash away villages in this Nepalese sanctuary. Go responsibly—book through ecotourist groups like KarmaQuest—and give back by contributing to WWF Nepal.
2 GALAPAGOS ISLANDS With large cruise ships now allowed in, the ecological balance is threatened. Travel on a small vessel, use local guides and keep a respectful distance from the wildlife.
3 AYSEN, PATAGONIA A fly-fishing mecca and "the coolest place I've been," says Lisagor, Aysén may see its rivers dammed by a power company. You can support groups trying to stop it (the Sierra Club is one).
• Crusading against puppy mills, Jana Kohl got all kinds of people to pose with Baby, her three-legged poodle, for their new book, A Rare Breed of Love.
WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE? So many dogs are kept in cages, treated inhumanely. Puppy mills should be outlawed, and people should adopt, not buy.
WHAT'S BABY'S STORY? She survived a puppy mill. Her vocal chords had been cut and a leg had to be amputated.
WHY ENLIST CELEBS? They're ideal to spread the word. Everyone was so moved by Baby's story.
DID SHE LIKE THEM? Her favorite place is in her Ma's arms, but she was very good-natured about it.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
